RJW Logistics Group Hiring For New Warehouse In Romeoville
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- With thousands of people out of work, maybe you or someone you know needs a job.
A suburban logistics company is looking for workers for their warehouses. CBS 2's Tim McNicholas took us inside the growing operation at RJW Logistics Group.
It's all coming together - from the forklifts to the warehouse racks at the new warehouse in Romeoville.
The RJW Logistics Group plans to start operating at the site in about two weeks, and chief executive officer Kevin Williamson said they'll be hiring over the next year.
"Eventually, this warehouse is going to employ about 250 people," he said.
That will be the company's second warehouse in Romeoville.
RJW works as a kind of middleman between producers or manufacturers and retailers. They take orders, and then transport food and goods to stores like Target and Walmart.
Right now, they're seeing a jump in demand.
"A lot of that demand has come from the COVID situation, where restaurants are closed, consumers are having to go to the supermarkets and hunker down," Williamson said.
With COVID-19 shutting many businesses down, it caused RJW to expand their hours.
The company now runs a total of six warehouses, so they are hiring not just in Romeoville, but also Bolingbrook, Woodridge, and Lockport.
"It's huge," said Jaime Alcauter.
Alcauter was let go from his last job due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, he has been hired to work for RJW as a data engineer in Bolingbrook.
"It was a blessing for them to hire me," he said. "I mean, the uncertainty of getting let go, not knowing how bills are going to get paid - it's scary."
And while COVID-19 is temporary, Williamson said the jobs are not.
"we're hiring them long term, and then give them an opportunity to grow within a growing company," he said.
We asked what RJW is doing to keep workers safe. Williamson showed McNicholas some 55-gallon containers of hand sanitizer, as well as masks that RJW is giving employees.
They even took McNicholas' own temperature and asked him to wear a mask around the warehouse workers.
"If we have an unhealthy work environment or an unhealthy work staff, then RJW doesn't run," Williamson said.
Right now, RJW is hiring for material handlers, warehouse supervisors, and customer service reps, among other jobs.
You can check out the list at RJWGroup.com.
CBS 2 is committing to Working For Chicago, connecting you every day with the information you or a loved one might need about the jobs market, and helping you remove roadblocks to getting back to work.
We'll keep uncovering information every day to help this community get back to work, until the job crisis passes. CBS 2 has several helpful items right here on our website, including a look at specific companies that are hiring, and information from the state about the best way to get through to file for unemployment benefits in the meantime.
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